Departmental news

Recognised for her expertise in supply chain design and strategy, as well as process improvement and sustainability, Jan Godsell, Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Strategy at WMG, University of Warwick, has been appointed as a co-director of the research and network strand within the £147 million Made Smarter Innovation programme.

Taking on the UK Research and Innovation role with immediate effect, Professor Godsell will be working with the Economic and Social Research Council to lead the research and network strand of the programme alongside fellow newly appointed co-director Jillian MacBryde, Professor of Innovation and Operations Management at the University of Strathclyde.

Together they will look to expand the stakeholder community and research into a Made Smarter Network Plus on an initial five-month agreement working alongside the Challenge Director and programme team.

The Made Smarter Network Plus aims to bring together insights across the wider UK manufacturing sector, bolstering digital technology innovation opportunities in manufacturing through engagement and collaboration.

Commenting on her new role, Professor Godsell said:

“The scope for improving the flexibility, sustainability and productivity of the UK manufacturing sector is huge, so I was keen to take this role to partner with Jillian on introducing research and new ideas to the industry.

“Introducing these important external influences in an effective way will require a deep understanding of the specific needs and demands on the manufacturing sector, which I hope I can bring to the Network Plus model to ensure it thrives for the benefit of all involved.”

Professor Godsell provides advice on strategy and activity across government and industry as part of her existing roles on various supply chain groups, including the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Supply Chain Resilience Advisory Group.

Chris Courtney, Challenge Director for Made Smarter Innovation, said:

“Digital technologies have the power to radically transform how we manufacture and deliver the products and services of the future and deliver a more resilient, prosperous economy with fundamental changes to the nature of work.

“A key part of delivering an optimal future in manufacturing will be enabled by harnessing the insights from the broader economic, social, regulatory and political sciences.

“I’m delighted to welcome Jan and Jill to the overall effort as co-directors, combining two of our leading academics in this space bringing leadership, insight of with a passion for manufacturing.

“I’m excited to get this work underway and to support Jill and Jan as they reach out to the broad network of capability to engage and shape a vital and exciting programme of work.”

Register for the upcoming Made Smarter Network Plus Townhall Event on 13th May here to find out more about the programme and how to get involved.

The Prof. Lord Bhattacharyya Building, home to the National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC) has won yet another award, this time at the 2020 Excellence in Design Awards, hosted virtually by the AIA UK Chapter on the 28 October. The awards were chosen from three overarching categories: Professional, Emerging Practice and Sustainability, a new category addition. The building scooped the Sustainability-Large Project category.

This comes shortly after the building was recognised as one of the best workplaces in the Midlands and Central England at the annual British Council for Offices (BCO) regional awards, winning the British Council for Office Midlands and Central Innovation Award.

Based at the University of Warwick, NAIC was officially open on 18th February 2020 by HRH The Prince of Wales. The Centre is a partnership between WMG, University of Warwick, Jaguar Land Rover, and Tata Motors, and is the largest of its kind in Europe and is well timed, arriving when a global mobility revolution is underway, with a new age for transport mobility.

A beacon for automotive research it brings together the brightest minds from industry and academia, to develop future vehicles and mobility solutions. It is home to up to 1,000 staff working across design, engineering and research, as well as future engineers on degree programmes.

Designed by Cullinan Studios the brief for the Centre was for simplicity and strength of purpose, turning a complex assembly of spaces into an immediately legible building.